Spelled Solenoid for future reference. Also, the door locking mechanism isn't a solenoid anyway, it is an actuator. I don't think that your actuators are bad if only one door is operating correctly. I would guess that the wiring to the power lock switch has gotten messed up or a relay or something is broken. The keyless entry simply taps into this wiring to lock and unlock the doors, so it probably isn't the problem either.

I'm sorry about the tech stuff, but it will help you to describe the problem better. Please post back giving us a description of the problem that is as exact as possible. What are the locks doing, are any unusual sounds being made, when did this first occur, did you do any wiring work before this happened?

BTW, for other's benefit, this is for a 2003 Corolla. Isn't stated in the body of the post, but is contained in the title.

It's doable, esp. if you have small hands and lots of patience. I changed one in wifey's '98 LE last year, part was about $150 US. The only way to fix it is to replace the actuator. Pay particular attention to the fitment and order of the bits you remove and make sure they all go back EXACTLY as you disassembled them and you won't have to do it twice. Buy a new pack of retainers for the door liner, you will enevitably break at least one of them when you remove the interior panel. My $0.02

Yes, this is a 2003 Corolla CE which I bought off the lot in May of 2002.

When i attempt to lock the door either with the remote or with the door side button, three of the locks simply won't respond. The rear driver's side door will lock/unlock as it normally did when the car was new. Upon pushing the button, the doors make a "mechanical" sound, as if they are trying to lock but do not. The locks (or rather the button that actually moves) does not even budge.

I have had this problem for about a year. I have not attempted to wire anything myself, not have I had anyone attempt to do so. The wiring is the same as it was the day I bought it. I have had a dealership look at the door, and they told me it was likely a "hotspot" in a solenoid of any of the 4 doors. It would cost about 200 dollars for a part and then the labour to locate the bad part and replace it. It would likely be a 1000 dollar repair.

The strange thing is that it started off as only the passenger's side front door lock not working. Then it moved from there to the driver's side only. Then it would not lock any doors, and now the read side driver's door works. Bizarre. If i manually lock all of the doors, the remote will confirm if they are locked or not by flashing the lights of the car, but it will not engage or disengange 3 of the door locks.

Originally. when only the passenger's door lock would not work, slamming the door sometimes helped for a few days.

Yes, this is a 2003 Corolla CE which I bought off the lot in May of 2002.

When i attempt to lock the door either with the remote or with the door side button, three of the locks simply won't respond. The rear driver's side door will lock/unlock as it normally did when the car was new. Upon pushing the button, the doors make a "mechanical" sound, as if they are trying to lock but do not. The locks (or rather the button that actually moves) does not even budge.

I have had this problem for about a year. I have not attempted to wire anything myself, not have I had anyone attempt to do so. The wiring is the same as it was the day I bought it. I have had a dealership look at the door, and they told me it was likely a "hotspot" in a solenoid of any of the 4 doors. It would cost about 200 dollars for a part and then the labour to locate the bad part and replace it. It would likely be a 1000 dollar repair.

The strange thing is that it started off as only the passenger's side front door lock not working. Then it moved from there to the driver's side only. Then it would not lock any doors, and now the read side driver's door works. Bizarre. If i manually lock all of the doors, the remote will confirm if they are locked or not by flashing the lights of the car, but it will not engage or disengange 3 of the door locks.

Originally. when only the passenger's door lock would not work, slamming the door sometimes helped for a few days.

It is very frustrating - thanks for the help

On most newer cars there is a module or relay that controls the power door locks. I'm guessing this module is bad in your car since the syptoms moved from one door to another and then to 3 of the 4 doors. Since the wiring hasn't been changed at all and the problem moved around I'd say the wiring isn't a strong possibility. I don't know where the power door lock control module or relay is, but someone on here should be able to point you to its location. Once you find this module you can inspect it for proper operation.

Just a quick question. When you bought this car it had a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty. Why didn't you get this problem fixed while the car was under warranty? Did the dealer know the problem existed while the car was under warranty and refuse to look at it or fix it?

Sometime in the 90's Toyota switch from Single relays to Integration Relays. These magical voo-doo boxes have circuit-controller based relays. Damn expensive to buy, almost impossible to debug for us mere mortals.

In 2003 Model, PDL/Unlock are the BLUE/WHITE & BLUE wires (-12V) in driver's kick panel going into the white plug. Perhaps trace the wires to the integration relay?

Sometime in the 90's Toyota switch from Single relays to Integration Relays. These magical voo-doo boxes have circuit-controller based relays. Damn expensive to buy, almost impossible to debug for us mere mortals.

In 2003 Model, PDL/Unlock are the BLUE/WHITE & BLUE wires (-12V) in driver's kick panel going into the white plug. Perhaps trace the wires to the integration relay?